I'm Open!
by Alamo Girl
Summary: Tony brings something into the office, and the fun times begin!


**Title:** **I'm Open!**

**Author: **Alamo Girl

**Disclaimer: **Navy NCIS characters belong to Belisaurius Productions and CBS. I'm just having some fun with them!

**Summary:** Tony brings something to work one morning, and the fun times begin!

**_Author's Note* _**This is just a funny little fic that I've been thinking about. I could actually see Tony doing this in the show! I hope you guys like it.

The NCIS bullpen was bustling with activity as usual. Agents, office personnel, and lab techs answered ringing phones and walked to and fro between the desks with mounds of paper. Everyone had their own jobs to worry about, and they seemed oblivious of anything but the papers that were in front of their own noses. 

Caitlin Todd walked back to her desk, coffee in hand. She sighed as she looked at the stack of files on her desk. The team had been working a complex case that required them to be away from the office a lot, and the paper work had piled up. 

"This is gonna be a fun day," she said to herself as she moved around to her chair.

The silver elevator doors opened, and Tony DiNozzo strolled off, his backpack slung over his shoulder. In one hand he casually tossed a small neon yellow football. He made his way to his desk and put his pack down. A smile spread across his face as he squeezed the football with both his hands, making a show of trying to flex his muscles in front of Kate's desk. 

Kate glanced up at Tony. "Bringing toys to work DiNozzo?  You gonna bring your rubber ducky or your teddy bear tomorrow?"

"Funny, Kate. Actually my eight year old cousin left it at my parent's house this weekend. We had a huge family dinner this weekend," Tony said tossing the ball up and down.

"You stole it from the child, didn't you?" Kate snarked. 

Tony threw his best glare at Kate. "I did not," he protested, "I stuck it in my car to bring back to him, and I just grabbed it this morning and brought it up with me."

He walked behind his desk, still tossing the football, when another agent saw the yellow ball above the desk dividers. The young black agent stopped at the end of the row where Kate's and Tony's desks were and called out, "Hey DiNozzo, I'm open!" When Tony tuned around, the young agent raised his hands, ready for the throw. 

"Here Jenkins," Tony called out, "catch!" Tony tossed the football in a perfect spiral down the row to Jenkins, who caught it easily.

Kate watched and laughed. "I can't believe you just threw that." Other heads began to pop up above the dividers.

"Hey Jenkins, over here," came a voice from a distant corner of the office. An older agent waved his hands as Jenkins sailed the football over several desks. More and more agents, men and women, were looking up from their work and watching in amusement. Two more agents stood up and called for the ball. The woman tried to intercept the ball from her shorter partner, which caused a riot of laughter as she knocked him to the floor. 

Soon, the yellow football was being passed in a huge circle around the bullpen between about ten agents. People were laughing and cheering for the players, and the office erupted in applause when a particularly amazing catch was made. Tony was eating up the attention.

Kate watched in utter amazement. Grown men and women were diving over chairs and desks, chasing a little Nerf football. No one was tackled out right, but there were a few mishaps. One long pass sailed a little low, and bounced off a gray-haired agent's head. He hadn't been paying attention when it hit him, but he laughed and continued the pass to a woman near by. One man got a little over zealous and forgot he was inside. He threw the ball a little too hard, and hit a phone near Tony's desk. The phone crashed to the floor, a series of 'Uh-Ohs' echoed through the office. 

"Easy guys, I don't want to have to explain to Office Management as to why we need a new thousand dollar piece of equipment in here," Tony exclaimed. 

The little game had acquired a balcony audience, as people watched over the railing upstairs near the video conference room. Tony looked around the office at all the smiling faces. This was the first time some of the people had even talked to each other outside of work related conversations. It was defiantly the most fun DiNozzo had ever had at NCIS headquarters. 

Kate had even joined in the game as well, occasionally catching a pass and tossing it on to the next person. _"This is a hell of a lot better than drowning in paperwork today,"_ she thought. 

"Pass it down here!" Tony waved his hands at a young woman,  who turned and threw a perfect spiral to him. He caught it, and flashed his disarmingly charming smile, impressed that such a lovely little thing could throw so well. Kate snorted as Tony continued to eye the young female agent. 

"Hey lover-boy, wipe the drool off your face and pass the ball," Kate said. 

Tony turned to Kate, and cocked his eyebrow at her comment. "Ok Katie, go long!"

Kate hopped backward a few steps, raised her hands and called, "I'm open!"

Every eye in office was on Tony as he rifled a spiral toward Kate. The yellow football sailed through the air, and Kate knew it was over her head. She turned around to try to get under the ball, but stopped dead in her tracks as the ball landed solidly in a strong hand. 

Everything in the entire office stopped and became deadly silent. Jethro Gibbs stood just inside the bullpen, the football in one hand, his Starbucs coffee cup in the other. There was no expression on his face as his blue eyes focused on Tony and Kate. 

Tony froze, his mouth open. Kate began to back-track to her desk, where she slipped into her chair and tried to make herself as small as possible behind her computer screens. Gibbs began to move toward the desks, never taking his eyes off of Tony. The scene in the bullpen was almost comical, as people scurried everywhere. They shoved and dodged each other, making mad dashes for their desks. Some bolted out of the office, suddenly remembering they needed to be elsewhere. Others jumped into their chairs and grabbed phones for a suddenly urgent phone call. Over the commotion of people moving around, there was an echo of 'Oh Shits', 'Holy Craps', and one person bravely called out,

"Have fun in the unemployment lines DiNozzo!"

Tony continued to back up into his filing cabinet, his eyes were as wide as saucers. "Boss, I uh…we were just… I mean," he stuttered. Gibbs continued to stroll casually toward him, tossing the ball up and down in one hand. He stopped just short of Tony's desk, and raised his eyebrows as if asking for a better explanation. Tony tried again. "Ya see boss, the ball is my cousin's and I brought it in by mistake. We just kinda started tossing it… just for fun.. and uh..," he shut up as Gibbs leaned toward him a little. 

"You don't have anything better to do than play with toys DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. Tony began to protest, pointing at Kate, insisting she was in on it too. Gibbs turned to Kate's desk, where she was hunched behind a file folder. She looked up at Gibbs, and started to say something, but he turned away and walked to his desk. 

"Tony started it," she complained. 

Gibbs glanced around the office. No one would meet his eyes, but he had seen who the indoor football players were. Tony and Kate were busy fussing, as he placed his coffee down and sighed.

"Have you two followed up on that interview of Lt. Keegan's wife yet?" Gibbs asked, frustration in his voice. Kate and Tony froze, and looked at each other suddenly remembering their jobs. They both looked back at Gibbs sheepishly. He raised his eyebrows, and stared at them. "Why are you still here?"

"On it boss," Tony blurted and he jumped for his coat and pack. Kate bent down and gathered her things quickly. Tony fairly flew toward the elevators, but Kate chanced a look at Gibbs. He leaned back in his chair, squeezed the football with both hands, and glanced back at her. Kate swore she saw that damn smirk of his, threatening to spread across his lips. She then hurried to catch up with DiNozzo, who was probably already driving out of the parking lot by now.

Gibbs looked back down at the yellow football. He tossed it high above his head, catching it easily with one hand. He thought of the look on Tony and Kate's faces when he'd caught the pass meant for Kate. He thought of Tony desperately trying to make up and excuse, and all the other agents scrambling back to work. They looked like a bunch of eighth graders caught out of their seats without permission, and the teacher had just walked in.

Gibbs sat at his desk and laughed to himself. Sometimes he really loved his job!

~END~

* Hope you liked it. More fics coming soon! ;-)


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